Trousers presser and stretcher.



B. S. OBRIBN & H. M. WHEAT.

TROUSERS PRESSER AND STRETGHER.

Arrmo'uxbn IILBD JULY 14, 1908. p

Patented May 11, 1909.

I 1115 NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTON. n. c.

nnrrnn sTATE TATE-NT orruon.

BERNARDO s. OBRIEN AND HOWARD M. WHEAT, or LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

TROUSERS PRESSEB 'AND STBETGHER.

Specification of-Letters Patent.

Patented May 1 1, 1909.

Application filed. July 14:, 1908'. Serial No. 443,505.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, BERNARDO S. OBRIEN and HOWARD M. WHEAT, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jeffersonand State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Trousers Pressers' and Stretchers, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention has for itsobject an improved construction of trouserspressing and stretching device which will embody the characteristics ofsimplicity of construction, lightness and portability, ease ofadjustment and efficiency in operation, and which will take up verylittle space after the trousers have been placed therein, and when thede-' vice is hung up out of the way, and the in vention consists incertain constructions, arrangements and combinations of the parts thatwe will hereinafter fully describe and then point out the novelfeaturesin the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to thefollowingdescription and accompanying drawings, in which: v

Figure 1 is a top plan view of our improved trousers pressing andstretching apparatus, illustrating the application thereof; Fig. 2

is an edge view of one of the clamps; Fig. 3 1s a transverse sectlonalview throughoneof the clamps on an enlarged scale, with the partsclosed; Fig.4 is a similar view with the parts open; and, Fig. 5 is adetail perspective view of the two strips that together comprise aclamp, the strips being shown detached from each other. V I

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawingsby the same reference characters.

Our improved trousers stretching and pressing apparatus comprises a pairof clamps A, B, each of which consists of two preferably wooden stripsland 2, the strip 1 being hereinafter designated as the bottom strip andthe strip 2 as the top strip; the bottom strip 1 is preferably integralthroughout, and the top strip 2 is preferably' constructed with arelatively long intermediate or main section and two movable endsections designated 2 and 2 respectively.

The stri s 1 and 2 are hinged together along one ongitudinal edge, asindicated at 3, this applying to the end sections of the top strip aswell as the intermediate section thereof. Preferably the inner faces ofthe strips are covered with felt 4. or the like glued on or otherwisesecured thereto, and said faces are preferably beveled as shown toprevent marking the trousers clamped therein. The strips 1 and 2 arecorrespondingly recessed along their hinged edges as indicated at 5 therecesses extending transversely as shown, and bolt. retaining plates 6aresecured by tacks or the like at the recessed portions of the stripsand project beyond the recessed edges thereof; the respective platesbeing formed with slots 7 that extend beyond the hinged edges of thestrips and that are in alinement'with the recesses 5. p p

8 designates bolts that are mounted in the slots 7 of the plates 6 andthat are designed to be slipped into the recesses 5 and designed bymeans of thumb screws 9, to tightly clamp the two strips upon the edgeportions ofthe trousers. The head portions of these bolts are preferablysquare orotherwise non-circular in shape so as to hold securely asagainst rotation as they are being tightened up by the thumb screws.When one strip is swung back from the other as illustrated in Fig. 4,thebolts 8 slip outwardly into the outer ends of the slots 7.

One strip of each clamp (preferably the top strip) is pivotally securedto a spreader bar 10, and the free end of each bar 10 is formed withinclined or beveled notches 11 designed to engage a keeper 12, in orderto hold the two clamps in stretched or spread out condition. In thepresent instance, the keeper 12 is in the form of a bent screw or hooksecured to the corresponding strip of the other clamp, and holding thebar 10 therein against any sidewisedisengagement from the keeper.

In the practical use of our improved pressing and stretching apparatus,the trousers are laid down in the proper folds or creases with the frontedge of the trousers legs on the bottom strip 1 of the clamp A, and theend section of the top strip 2 at the lower end of the trouserslegs isthen turned down and clamped by tightening the thumb nut of the clampingbolt of said strip. The front edge of the trousers legs is thenstraightened out with a very slight stretch from the clamped end sectionto the other end section and the latter is then also clamped to thetrousers. The clam) B is similarly secured to the rear edge of thetrousers legs in the same way.

If there should happen to be a considerable bagginess at the knee, thegoods are pulled back until the front edge is in a direct line and theintermediate section of the top piece 2 of the clamp A is then clampeddown upon the trousers. The intermediate section of the top piece 2 ofthe clamp B is similarly secured or fastened, care being taken to keepthe edges of both legs properly together, After the clamps have beensecured to the edges of the trousers legs, the trousers are stretchedout sidewise with ones hands until the goods are perfectly smooth, andthey are held in a substantially vertical osition whereupon the spreaderbars 10 will "all into place and lock the two clamps in thedesiredspaced relation regarding each other, the inclined notches permittingthe clamps to be spread apart to the desired extent, the spreader bars10 merely slipping over the keepers 12 in the outwardly spreadingmovement of the clamp, until the desired tension has been accomplished.Preferably one strip of each clamp is provided with a screw eye 13, anda chain or suspension member 14 is secured at one end to one of thesescrew eyes and is provided at its opposite end with a hook by which itmay be secured to the other so as to suspend the entire apparatus eitherwhile it is in use or otherwise, so that it may take up comparativelylittle space and, by being hung up, insure that the body portion of thetrousers will hang in perfect shape. ()bviously the goods may bedampened if desired before being secured in the clamps, and may bequickly dried by placing them in the sun or by the fire, or may be hungup over night, and thus always be kept in perfectly pressed condition.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is;

1. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of clampsconsisting of strips hinged together on one edge, means for clampingsaid strips together, spreader bars pivotally connected at one end ofthe respective clamps and formed in their opposite ends with bevelednotches, and keepers secured to the respective clamps and designed forengagement with the spreader bar of the other clamp.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of clamps eachof which independently movable,

consists of a pair of strips hinged together along one edge, spreaderbars pivotally connected at one end. to the respective clamps and formedat their opposite ends with bcv eled or inclined notches, and keeperssecured to the respective clamps and designed for engagement with thenotched portions of the spreader bar of the other clamp, said. keeperscomprising hooks engaging the sidefaces of the spreader bars whereby toprevent the sidewise disengagement of the bars from the keepers.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of clampseach. of which consists of a pair of strips said strips being formed intheir edges with transversely extending recesses, bolt retaining platessecured to said strips at the recesses and formed with slots re isteringwith said recesses and projecting out beyond the recessed edges of thestrips, and clamping bolts designed to it in said recesses and slots, asand for the purpose set forth.

4. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of clamps eachof which consists of a pair of strips hinged together along one edge,the strips being formed on their hinged edges with transverselyextending recesses, bolt retaining plates secured to said strips at therecesses and formed with slots registering with said recesses andprojecting out beyond the hinged edges of the strips, and clamping boltsdesigned to lit in said recesses and slots, as and for the purpose setforth.

5. A device of the character described. comprising a pair of clampsconsisting of strips hinged. together on one edge, namely a bottom stripand a top strip, one of said strips being constructed in. sections thatare and means for clamping said strips together, whereby the endsections of the strips may be iirst secured in place and afterward theintermediate sections as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we ailix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

BERNARDO S. OBRIEN. [L. s.]

HONAHD M. WHEAT. [L s.) W itnesses MACE LIEBER,

S. M. OBRIEN.

